Summary

Many journalists, at some point in their careers, have had an “Ah-hah!” moment -- a sudden realization about the impact of their work or the work of their colleagues. Many of the journalists interviewed for the WNN report provided a single anecdote about an event that helped them understand and appreciate the power and purpose of journalism. We are sharing those epiphanies here.

Jim Rainey was a young reporter in western Tennessee when he discovered the AIDs epidemic had migrated to his small community. His articles shined light on the problem and alerted officials this problem warranted local remedies.

Paul Tash remembers a day when, “with a match and some kerosene,” a minister’s wife “sparked the interest” of The St. Petersburg Times. That incident led to a story that fully engaged the interest of The Times readership for many weeks thereafter.

Jim Alred had been promoting the value of compelling news video for his newspaper’s website and had been receiving lukewarm interest, until the recording of a local performance by a local woman American Idol finalist grabbed everyone’s attention.